After Tom learns that he's not a U.S. citizen, he and his mom must travel to Mexico to retrieve the proper documentation and pay off a long outstanding debt.
Tom grapples with being corrupted by the grownups around him each day just by leaving his house. He must deal with bad influences including litigious parents, drug dealing bus drivers and band teachers who want to sleep with his mom. If he sets up a lemonade stand, he gets sued for gross negligence. If he plays baseball, he is encouraged to dabble with steroids. And if he visits the school nurse, he is introduced to the world of insurance fraud. The grownups in Tom's life all mean well, but somehow just can't manage to lead by example.